Instinct meets culinary craft at Iai, a sushi kappo restaurant driven by craftsmanship and a unique creative identity. Here, daily interactions set the stage for the shokunin pursuit, where dedication and play go hand in hand in chef Bruce Ricketts' culinary expression.
‘iai’ derives from ‘iaido,’ a Japanese martial art that focuses on awareness, instinct, and keen responsiveness. The practice hews closely to chef Bruce's off-the-cuff cooking style and references his lineage in martial arts.
Iai offers dinner-only sushi omakase and kappo service focusing on Filipino, global, and seasonal Japanese ingredients, and Japanese techniques and executions.
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Closed December 23-26 & 30-31, 2024; closed every Mondays in December
Open January 1, 2025 for a special event—details to follow 👀❣️
Closed January 2-7, 2025; closed every Mondays and Tuesdays starting January
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Please take note that we will be closed every Monday and Tuesday starting next year, and we will be open for sushi omakase, kappo omakase, and premium omakase from Wednesday to Sunday, at 6pm onwards
FAQ
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Directly translating to "I leave it up to you," omakase is a type of menu format where the chef chooses all the dishes and ingredients served to you. At Iai, we have three different kinds, with courses that vary frequently depending on seasonality, ingredient availability, and chef Bruce's spontaneous style of cooking.
• Kappo omakase
Kappo cuisine is a style of cooking that falls somewhere in between formal kaiseki and casual izakaya. This is a shorter menu with 5 courses, without sushi, and is available in our main dining area only. Limited seatings for 1 or 2 persons are available from time to time at the chef’s counter.
₱4,500 per person (inclusive of 12% VAT and exclusive of 10% service charge)
• Sushi omakase
Our main offering, this begins with 6 to 8 otsumami or seasonal appetizers. The main feature is the nigiri course, with 5 to 7 pieces of sushi. A meat course and dessert finish the meal. This is available at the chef’s counter and private dining room, where direct interaction with chef Bruce is part of the experience. Seatings at our main dining tables are also subject to limited availability.
₱8,900 per person (inclusive of 12% VAT and exclusive of 10% service charge)
• Premium omakase
An exclusive tasting menu with limited availability, featuring 16 to 18 dishes and an extended nigiri course. This menu must be requested in advance.
Starts at ₱13,500 per person (inclusive of 12% VAT and exclusive of 10% service charge) -
Iai is a reservation-only restaurant, and reservations can be made exclusively at iaimanila.com/reservations. Unfortunately, walk-ins cannot be accommodated at this time. We also require a 50% down payment for every seat, both for sushi and kappo omakase reservations.
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If your preferred date or menu option is unavailable, please leave your details on our wait list and we’ll get back to you.
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The chef’s counter can accommodate 8 to 10 guests for sushi omakase and premium omakase, and 2 guests for kappo omakase (with limited availability). We have two tables in the main dining area, seating 4 and 6 guests each.
The private dining room can be booked by a minimum of 6 guests and can seat up to 9, and is exclusively for sushi omakase or premium omakase only.
We offer staggered seatings: 6pm for sushi omakase at the chef’s counter, 7:30pm for sushi omakase or premium omakase in the private dining room, and 6:30pm for kappo omakase.
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A typical sushi omakase or premium omakase seating will last about 2 to 2.5 hours, and 1.5 to 2 hours for kappo omakase.
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Cancellations made less than 48 hours before reservation times are strictly non-refundable. Please course all cancellations and reservation changes through your email confirmation. No cancellations or modifications will be accommodated via Instagram or any other platform.
Rescheduling and reduction in party size within 48 hours may be accommodated if we can seat you at a different area; otherwise, the down payment for the deducted guest/s is strictly non-refundable. Please note that all arrangements are strictly subject to availability and are based upon our discretion.
We will strictly begin our seatings at the same time, and guests who arrive more than 15 minutes late may forfeit their reservation. If a party is partially present, we cannot guarantee the full menu to their late companions. This will be strictly implemented out of courtesy to other guests and full consideration of our different seating times and kitchen operations.
If none of the guests arrive anytime during their reservation seating, no refunds will be issued and the total price of the reservation will be charged to the credit card on file.
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We must be informed about allergies and dietary restrictions upon reservation, or at least 48 hours before reservation time. Please note that raw items, seafood, rice, and soy feature prominently on all of our menus, and unfortunately we cannot accommodate raw, seafood, gluten, soy, vegan, and vegetarian restrictions.
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We welcome guests to browse our wine, sake, non-alcoholic, and alcoholic beverage menus. Wine pairings will be offered at the restaurant.
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We charge a fee of ₱2,000 per bottle. Cakes are not subject to corkage.
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Please take note that we will charge a fee for any breakage as we have taken great care to source and work with many artisans to customize our tableware and glassware. Thank you for your understanding.
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We don’t have a dress code, but we appreciate guests who refrain from wearing overly casual attire at Iai. We also advise guests against wearing perfume or cologne so as not to interfere with the experience of others.
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We have prepaid dinner vouchers that can be purchased online. These will require advance reservations. Please email us at reservations@iaimanila.com for inquiries.
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Iai is a pet-friendly establishment, though please keep in mind that our space is rather small so we cannot accommodate medium to large dogs. Pets must be vaccinated, leashed, and wear a diaper inside Iai, and must stay next to their owner and designated seating throughout their reservation, and upon our discretion, we will assign appropriate seating areas out of courtesy to other guests, regardless of the pet owner’s reservation or chosen section. Most importantly, pet owners must ensure their pets do not, in any way, hamper the experience of other guests, and must assume full accountability for their pets and any disturbances, damage, or disruption they may cause. Lastly, we reserve the right to refuse service and ask guests to leave if their pets have hygiene issues, are misbehaving and unruly, and are disrupting the experience of other patrons.
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Please send the details of your event, preferred date, and number of persons to reservations@iaimanila.com.
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Iai is located at G/F The Montane, 8th Ave. cor. 35th St., BGC, Taguig. We are directly in front of the Grand Hyatt.
We are open from Tuesday to Sunday, 6pm to 10pm.
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Limited pay-parking slots are available at The Montane. Guests may also park at the Grand Hyatt and Avida Tower Verte.